Attendance up at Disney sports site

Walt Disney World pulled back the curtain a bit last week on its plans to weave ESPN into its Wide World of Sports, where executives hope that ESPN's universally recognized sports brand will help lure even more sporting events and athletes to the giant resort.

Even before ESPN's arrival, Disney said, business is thriving at Wide World of Sports. Ken Potrock, senior vice president of Disney Sports Enterprises, said attendance at the complex has continued to grow this year despite the overall traffic slump brought on by the global recession.

"This year, in particular, we've had our best growth ever," Potrock said last week.

Potrock attributed Wide World's "recession resistance" in part to parents' reluctance to sacrifice "character-building" events for their kids.

Spending more

Looks like Universal Orlando, which is racing to complete the Wizarding World of Harry Potter ahead of a projected spring opening, has added an extra $10 million to its capital spending.

In the resort's third-quarter financial report, Universal says it plans to spend approximately $120 million on capital projects for all of 2009. The resort had previously said it expected to spend about $110 million for the year.

Universal doesn't say what prompted the extra $10 million -- whether, for instance, it is the result of extra spending on the Wizarding World, cost overruns on the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster, or something else entirely.

Wall on display

Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum in Orlando has a 10-by-10-foot section of the Berlin Wall on display for the 20th anniversary of the wall's famous fall.

Orlando-based Ripley Entertainment Inc. said its Berlin Wall collection -- which includes 16 segments of the wall -- is "likely the largest" collection of Berlin Wall pieces in the world.

The company said that, as the events unfolded on television, it decided to send a small team to Berlin to scout for the most interesting sections of the wall. With the assistance of an American diplomat, Ripley's dealt directly with the German military and bought 160 feet of the wall, with each piece weighing about 2 tons.

Ripley's also recently announced the acquisition of a somewhat less historic item: a giant rubber-band ball that was created by 28-year-old Lauderhill man.

The ball, which consists of more than 720,000 rubber bands, is 6 feet 7 inches tall and is called Megaton.

Disney adds spokesman

Walt Disney World has hired the former chief of staff to ex-U.S. Rep. Ric Keller, R-Orlando, as a resort spokesman.

Bryan Malenius becomes one of three front-line spokesmen in Disney World's public affairs division, which is responsible for responding to breaking news about the giant resort.

AirTran inks partnership

AirTran Airways has announced a new marketing partnership with a Utah airline that will operate regional flights out of Milwaukee, one of AirTran's focus cities.

AirTran said its agreement with SkyWest Airlines will provide its customers with jet service between Milwaukee and six destinations. SkyWest will fly 18 daily non-stop flights on 50-seat Bombardier aircraft.

Westin in Lake Mary

A 253-room Westin hotel is scheduled to open in Lake Mary on Nov. 22. The Westin Lake Mary Orlando North will feature 14,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 7,800-square-foot ballroom.

The hotel is owned by YRG Hotel and will be managed by the Yedla Management Co. of Huntsville, Ala.

The hotel's management company said it hired more than 150 employees for the property.

Harry Potter goes green

Universal Orlando has struck a deal with a Marion County-based company to supply eco-friendly products for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Universal's agreement with Advanced Eco Designs of Ocala calls for "furnishings" that will be used as part of the Wizarding World project. Although the public documents aren't more specific, the company's Web site shows that it builds furniture such as picnic benches made from recycled plastic and theme-park props made with synthetic lumber.

Jason Garcia can be reached at jrgarcia@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5414. Sara K. Clarke can be reached at skclarke@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5664.